Wine-Geek Heaven on the Way to the East Village

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It’s been a while since we first got wind of it, but the Hearth’s long-awaited spinoff wine bar, Terroir, is finally close to becoming a reality. The space, known in its former life as Bikes by George, will begin its transformation right after Thanksgiving, and co-owners Paul Grieco and Marco Canora hope to open the place by New Year’s. Grieco, the wine director, is a wine geek’s wine geek, which means he’s got some loftyplans.

As Greico puts it, “The problem with wine lists is that they’re just that: lists. They don’t tell a story; they don’t reveal the personality of who put it together." Terroir is a small place with reasonable rent, so Greico’s ready to take risks. "We might decide that the only reds will be pinot noirs from the Central Ogato region of New Zealand. Or if it’s July, the only white might be Rieslings. But it won’t be just one or two wines: This will be the biggest wine list we’ve ever puttogether.”

Great. As if we weren’t drunk in the East Village too often already. And don’t forget, you’ve got Solex, which opened Monday, just a few blocks down the street — we’d say things are heading toward an epic First Avenue wine-bar showdown or just more liver damage for us. Either way, everybodywins!